We believe that human life is sacred from the first moment of its existence, and the Ottawa community defended this belief by participating in an international prayer movement seeking to bring an end to the legality of abortion.

The movement called "40 Days for Life" began in 2007, and this year took place in 307 locations worldwide.

Many parishioners of St. Columba aided this important cause by signing up to pray for one hour at a time at the Jordan Block in downtown Ottawa. Beginning on September 23 and ending on November 1, people of prayer from Ottawa and the surrounding region prayed from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm, rain or shine, cold or hot.

The location was chosen because it is located up the block from a Planned Parenthood facility where women seeking abortions can schedule the procedure.

The event was peaceful and began many conversations with passersby.

40 Days for Life reports that the lives of 523 babies around the world are known to have been saved since September 23 by the intervention of our collective prayers and action.​Awesome!!!